What if
by Strabec
Summary: This will be a series of short ish ‘ficlets’ with Severus Snape as the main character. Some fics will be missing scenes, and some will be ‘what if’ scenarios. There will be no slash. Oh and one more thing, they won’t be in book order either
1. Chamber Of Secrets The Duelling Club

Summary: Dumbledore asks Snape to help Lockhart with the duelling club. Snape express his …distaste.

Disclaimer: All characters etc. belong to JK Rowling. I make no money doing this. I am just having fun!

Please read, enjoy and review!

Set during Chamber Of Secrets

The Duelling Club

"He wants to start a duelling club?" Severus Snape repeated Dumbledore's words, incredulity dripping from every syllable.

"Severus," Dumbledore started, the slight warning tone in his voice unmistakeable "I know your doubts on Professor Lockhart's abilities…" the look on Snape's face clearly said that they weren't doubts but downright certainties as far as he was concerned. "…but he is the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Concerning that Headmaster.." Snape started Dumbledore sighed. Yes it was unfair to deny the post to Severus, especially when he was easily more talented than Lockhart. Snape had hated all the previous DADA professors but Lockhart was effectively an insult. But he couldn't tell him that the post was cursed, not yet.

"I have already explained my reasons." Dumbledore said "I will not discuss it further. I want you to offer your assistance to Professor Lockhart for this duelling club."

"He is a complete incompetent!" Snape said viciously.

"Which is why I would like you involved Severus. I trust your abilities far more then Lockhart's." Severus had always been susceptible to flattery, of course there was one other argument he could use that would appeal to him.

Snape knew there was no further point in arguing with Dumbledore, he would end up helping that idiot with the duelling club. He rose and started to head towards the door just as Dumbledore had pulled out Transfiguration today and started to read it.

"You surprise me Severus." Dumbledore said, apparently casually. Snape paused by the door looking back. Dumbledore continued without lowering the magazine.

"I thought you would have relished proving you superior abilities in front of Lockhart."

"He is hardly worth the bother." Snape replied, though as thought settled in his brain the corner's of his mouth curled into a slight sadistic smile. As he left the office, Dumbledore lowered the magazine revealing the smile on his face. He wondered, only briefly, whether he ought to have emphasised that he wanted Lockhart back in one piece.


	2. Deathly Hallows Unto Death

Disclaimers: Characters and parts of conversation in italics belong to J K Rowling. I don't make any money doing this, please don't sue.

Author's note: I can't believe that I am the only one that thought Snape's death didn't _quite_ make sense. I suppose I personally couldn't see Harry's reason for going over to Snape after he'd been attacked by the snake. The escapism thing afterwards didn't quite make sense to me either.

So look on this as my slightly altered version (that makes more sense to me at any rate, as the disclaimer says I'm just having fun!).

Set during Deathly Hallows

Unto Death

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat crouched and cramped behind the crate. The invisibility cloak hid them from sight. Panic was steadily rising in Harry. Voldemort was only a few feet away but he seemed preoccupied. Harry craned his neck, then nodded to himself. Voldemort was studying the wand. He would have figured out by now that the Elder wand was not working properly. Snape appeared in the doorway. Hatred welled up within him. Dumbledore's killer, the cause of his parents death, Harry barely noticed how pale Snape looked. Harry saw him look at Voldemort, then he eyes seem to fix on something just above Voldemorts' head his eyes widened. Curious, Harry tried to angle himself so he could see it too. He felt Hermione tug his foot, but he ignored her. It was lucky they were in the Shrieking shack. It had fallen into so much disrepair that there it was filled with constant noises, Harry hoped these noises would cover his movements. Hermione was tugging more urgently at his foot. Harry could see it now. Voldemort snake hovered in the air, protected by a glittering magical cage. Snape seemed transfixed by it.

"_My lord their resistance is crumbling.."_ Snape said finally, Voldemort did not look at him, or even turn. Studying the Elder wand he held in his hand.

"_And is doing so without your help. Skilled wizard though you are, Severus, I do not think you will make much difference now. We are almost there… almost."_

"_Let me find the boy. Let me bring you Potter. I know I can find him, my Lord. Please."_

"_I have a problem, Severus,"_ Voldemort stated.

"_My Lord?"_ Snape seemed to tear his eyes away from the snake and was staring in Harry's direction, shock flashed onto his face. Harry suddenly realised why Hermione was tugging at his foot, the cloak his slipped from his head. They stared at each other for a few brief moments before Snape snapped his attention back to Voldemort.

"_Why doesn't it work for me, Severus?"_

"_My-my Lord? I do not understand. You-you have performed extraordinary magic with that wand."_ Snape replied, seemingly puzzled.

Harry froze. Snape had seen him. He had definitely seen him. He had expected the crate behind which they were hiding to be blasted apart and he be dragged out to face Voldemort. But Snape was acting as though he wasn't there.

_"I have performed my usual magic with this wand, I am extraordinary but this wand… no. It has not revealed the wonders it has promised. I feel no difference between this wand and the one I procured from Ollivander all those years ago. No difference." _Voldemort paused looking at Snape directly. Snape's eyes kept flickering to the snake in it's starry cage, as though it fascinated him. But Voldemort didn't appear to notice.

"_I have thought long and hard, Severus… do you know why I have called you back from the battle?"_

"_No, my Lord, But I beg you to let my return. Let me find Potter."_

Although Harry heard every word Voldemort said something else was rising unbidden in his mind. A memory from a year ago, Harry remembered there had been something Snape had not wanted to do, something he had changed his mind about…Harry suddenly felt sick as he realised what that had been. Harry felt a second sickening lurch as he realised why Voldemort had summoned Snape there in the first place. Snape obviously had no idea. Harry looked up, Voldemort had turned to face Snape now, and was raising his wand. Snape had moved to directly opposite Harry, so Voldemort has his back to him.

"_You sound like Lucius, Neither of you understands Potter as I do. He does not need finding. Potter will come to me. I know his weakness, you see, his one great flaw. He will hate watching the others struck down around him, knowing that it is for him that it happens. He will want to stop it at any cost. He will come."_

"_But my Lord, he might be killed accidentally by one other then yourself-"_

Voldemort clearly had no interest in what Snape was trying to say and didn't notice that Snape was clearly frantic to get away from the place and talk to Harry. Harry got the impression that Snape was trying to convince Voldemort that Harry was not going to come, so Voldemort might leave the shrieking shack. But Voldemort's attention was not on Harry, he was focused on the wand.

"_My instructions to my Death Eaters have been perfectly clear. Capture Potter. Kill his friends- the more the better- but do not kill him. But it is of you I wished to speak, Severus, not Harry Potter. You have been very valuable to me. Very valuable."_

"_My Lord knows I seek only to serve him. But- let me go and find the boy, my Lord. Let me bring him to you. I know I can-"_

Was Snape beginning to realise the danger he was in? Was that the real reason that Snape appeared to be so desperate to get away? To preserve his own life? Harry mind, clearly wanting to condemn Snape, recalled what Phineas Nigellus had said. We Slytherins are brave… but we will put our own lives above those of others." Snape was a Slytherin, he had killed his parents by his actions. Snape deserved what he was going to get…

"_I have told you, no! My concern at the moment, Severus, is what will happen when I finally meet the boy."_

"_My Lord, there can be no question, surely-?"_

"_But there is a question, Severus. There is. Why did both the wands I used fail when directed at Harry Potter?"_

"_I-I cannot answer that, my Lord."_

And yet, Harry couldn't deny that Snape knew he was there, and had said nothing to Voldemort. If anything would placate his master at the moment it would be Harry's appearance. Although Voldemort did not seem to be entirely convinced he would win the encounter, judging by what he was saying…

"_Can't you? My wand of yew did everything of which I asked it, Severus, except to kill Harry Potter. Twice it failed. Ollivander told me under torture of the twin cores, told me to take another's wand. I did so, but Lucius's wand shattered upon meeting Potter's."_

"_I-I have no explanation, my Lord."_

"_I sought a third wand, Severus. The Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick. I took it from it's previous master, I took it from the grave of Albus Dumbledore."_

"_My Lord- let me go to the boy-"_

Snape appeared paler than ever. The moment that this conversation between Snape and Voldemort had been heading towards was drawing inexorably closer. Harry was torn, hatred for Snape still filled him, but doubt had begun to nibble at the edges. Little incidents over the past 7 years had begun to surface in his mind. Snape had summoned the Order to the ministry, if Snape had been working for Voldemort, surely letting the Death Eaters deal with six teenagers would have been better? He had not supplied veritaserum to Umbridge, he had been 'deliberately unhelpful'. But Snape had killed Dumbledore. Harry's mind argued. But he didn't look that happy about it did he? Harry's mind argued back. Remember Dumbledore's hand, what if he was dying anyway?

"_All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory, I have sat here wondering, wondering why the Elder Wand refuses to be what it ought to be, refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for it's rightful owner… and I think I have the answer. Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen."_

"_My Lord-"_

"_The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot be truly mine."_

"_My Lord!" _

Yes that was always Voldemort's way. Kill first, ask questions later, if at all. But Voldemort had it wrong, Harry was sure, and Voldemort's mistake was going to prove terminal for Snape. Surely he should do something. Harry's mind raced, and was divided again. Harry was torn between helping the man he still hated, and revealing himself to Voldemort. He was sure, somehow, that now was not the time to do that.

"_It cannot be any other way. I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and master Potter at last."_

Snape had drawn his own wand but had no time to use it. All Snape was aware of was his head and neck being enveloped by angry snake, the sharp bite of teeth sinking into his neck, then colliding with the floor, the cage being taken off him, his hand already at his neck trying to stop the blood pouring out of him.

"_I regret it_." Voldemort said coldly as he swept from the room. Harry dashed from his hiding place, kneeling by Snape's head. What on earth could he say?

"I..I.." Harry stammered, Snape had grabbed his robes and was pulling him close.

"No…time." Snapes voice rasped. "Message…you…must…understand."

Harry knew what Snape wanted him to do. He had done it before, all be it accidentally when Snape had tried to teach him occlumency. Harry stood slowly pointing his wand at Snape.

"Focus Potter!" Snape managed to say.

"Legimens!" and Harry's mind was teeming with his teachers memories….

Author's note: assume Snape's memories happen next, then the 'look at me' bit. But I am also lazy so I'm not going through all that bit…


End file.
